Hello Soup Season!

It's the time of year when you just want to curl up on the couch with a nice warm blanket, watch a movie and not move for the rest of the night. Unfortunately this usually means eating bounteous amounts of fat ladden foods that usually end up on your thighs and butt for spring time.  Lucky for you I have a nice hot and easy healthy meal recipe for you.  Just look how colorful it is!  Who ever thought that you could have a colorful, hearty and healthy meal for winter? (insert mind being blown!)

 

Let's start with the ingredients.  Look how few ingredients there are!

 

First thing first, open up the package of chicken sausage and slice it in half lengthwise.

 

Now that you have 2 halves, put the flat part on the cutting board to creat a stable cutting surface.

 

Now slice chicken sausage into thin slices, and do this with both chicken sausage links.

 

Get your oil in the pot, and start browning the sausage.

 

 

Once you put the sausage in the pot, leave it for about 1-2 minutes without stirring so that it can brown.

Look how nicely it browns.

 

 

Open up the beans and rinse them.

  

After the sausage is browned and has cooked for about 4 minutes, add in the tomatoes, beans

  

and unsalted chicken broth.  I like to use the unsalted chicken broth version because that way you are in control of how much salt you are putting in your dish.  You can add the salt to your liking and it makes you more aware of what you are eating.

 

Now you can crank up your heat and bring the soup to a boil.

 

While you are waiting for your soup to boil, you have time to cut up the kale.  Kale can be very dirty so please make sure you wash it really well.  Now that it's clean, we need to remove the thick ribs of the leaves.  Just cut them out using your knife,

cutting on each side of the rib stem.

 

Now just slice the kale up into bite size pieces.  Remember the kale will wilt in the cooking process but you still want the pieces small enough to fit on your spoon.

 

The soup is boiling so now you can just turn off the heat, and add in the kale.  I like my kale a little crunchy and with a little hearty texture so that is why I shut off the soup so that I help the integrity of the kale and not overcook it.  If you like a softer, more cooked kale, go ahead and keep the soup on high heat for a couple minutes until reach desired texture.

 

Add in the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. I just put a starting guideline of salt and pepper in the recipe, so please start small and add more if needed.  I prefer to add more herbs than salt for flavor, everyone's taste buds are different so please make changes based on your family's.

 

This took less time than having to go through a drive up, and you will feel so much better afterwards as well.  It only took about 15 minutes, and now you can grab yourself a bowl and get right back on that couch under your blanket and feel better about yourself that you won't have to workout as hard in the spring time!

 

Chicken Sausage and Kale Soup

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 (12oz) Andouille chicken sausage, cut lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (15 oz) can cannellini or garbanzo beans, rinsed
4 c. UnSalted chicken broth
1 bunch kale leaves, cut into 1 in. pieces
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. Black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium stockpot over medium heat and add the sausage to cook.  Allowing the sausage to brown, cook 3-4 minutes.  Add in the diced tomatoes with juice, cannellini beans, chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add in the kale and Italian seasoning and turn off the heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!


-Cool